So, you want to live in Korea after your military retirement. Congrats on retirement! U.S. military retirees in Korea have the most benefits available for a retiree living overseas. Some of the info here also applies to non-retired veterans, but we focus mostly on retirees. Whether this is your first time to Korea or a return trip, welcome to the Republic of Korea, affectionately called Land Of The Morning Calm.
When "assigned" in Korea you fell under the umbrella of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which helped protect many of your American rights from Korean law. But now, as a retiree (not working) you no longer have SOFA status, so that protection is gone. As a retiree you must comply with both Korean Government and U.S. Military laws and rules. Being without SOFA status means we are not protected by a military umbrella to help you get out of any 'downtown' jams, so when off-base, we U.S. military retirees are basically just another foreigner in Korea. Failure to follow Korean laws can result in financial fines, jail time, being expelled from Korea and more. As a military retiree, failure to also follow USFK rules can result in being barred from military installations or worse, especially when the USFK Commander has implemented Public Health Emergency (PHE), which gives the USFK Commander full authority over all DOD affiliated personnel in Korea, including retirees.
Playing devils advocate here, it is important to remind you that it was your choice to NOT retire in our own country of America. Many of our U.S. government agency policies and procedures are in-place expecting you be in your country, so hopefully the decision you made to live overseas, and not in the U.S., was made knowing there would be some sacrifices on your part and that our government isn't responsible to care for us "exactly" the same as they would at home. Examples include Medicare not available overseas, limited Veterans Administration support, Identity Verification and 2-Factor Identification processes when logging into certain website, user accounts expecting a U.S. phone number, and more. So, keep this in mind as certain things don't go as smooth as expected and plan for the unexpected. So, basically, be careful what you complain about :)
To Be Fair...
While we all do think living in the ROK is the greatest thing since sliced bread, there are some inconveniences to be aware of while living in Korea. To make sure you're ready, checkout the GENERAL FAQ "Are There Disadvantages to Retiring and Living in Korea Without SOFA Status?"
A multitude of health and medical care choices for retirees and their family members. Visit our Health and Medical Care section.
Retirees in Korea are authorized USPS APO mail boxes on base, however, with the same 16oz. limit as anywhere else overseas. Visit our Postal Services page for more.
Air quality is commonly bad in Korea. And it's not because Korea is bad with emissions and pollution from vehicles and factories, but rather things like the “Yellow Dust” (dust & pollution) blowing in from places like China. If you or your spouse have any respiratory problems, they may be exasperated by the yellow dust. Check out the current Air Quality on the Air Pollution in South Korea: Real-time Air Quality Index Visual Map. http://aqicn.org/map/southkorea/#@g/37.3326/126.8174/12z
Numerous options for housing and costs. Read more on out Housing page.
Easy transportation in and around Korea. Visit our Transportation page for more.
The Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) office at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines is your Social Security Administration service office in the Pacific. For more information on SSA support while in Korea go to our Social Security Administration page.
You will want to maintain an affiliation with your home state for voting, driver’s licenses, congress/senate support, etc. Some states will allow you to renew your non-Real ID driver’s license online from overseas. Every state has their own rules, so you need to go online for the DMV in your state and find out. And with the emergence of Real ID cards, the processes and policies change even more. So, research with your state. Some states will allow you to maintain your last known CONUS physical address as your address of record, with an APO address for mailing of voting packages and driver’s licenses. Again, every states has their own rules, check with DMV
It goes without saying foreigners living in a foreign land need, and should always want, to have a valid passport from their country. We have pages for Passports and Korea Visa/Immigration for you to visit with more information.
If you have VA rated disabilities, even at 0%, you are eligible for VA reimbursement for treatment of these conditions. Unlike in the U.S. however, VA healthcare overseas is limited, especially in Korea that has no VA centers. FMP becomes your only recourse for VA healthcare support for service connected issues. To learn more about registering and using the VA Foreign Medical Program (FMP) go to our Veterans Affairs page
Our website here tries to consolidate the many forms of information media. There are websites, newsletters, Retirement Services Offices on base, the Retiree Council, VFW Posts throughout Korea and of course Facebook social media. USFK installations almost all have Facebook pages to pass information to the communities. Also, the Retiree Council publishes a newsletter, which can be found online here at our Retiree Council Newsletters page.
The military will help widows/widowers with casualty assistance. Go to our Casualty Assistance and Mortuary Affairs page for more information.
So, you've been gone awhile or it's your first trip to Korea. What's new around the Land of the Morning Calm? Below are some process and policy changes that may be new to you, with links to other parts of this website that contain more detail about each subject. Also, there is a short list of things to see and do while in Korea. I say short list, because there is so much to do I can't list them all, but here are listed some of the common ones.
No need to 'register your ID Card in DBIDS anymore! DBIDS and DEERS synchronizes data now. Visit our Base Access DBIDS page for more.
No More Ration Cards, Ration Limits or ID checks at the front doors of AAFES and Commissaries. Visit our Ration Control & Shopping page for more
For those who know or remember the old perimeter road around the Camp Humphreys flight line, that road is now not even in the middle of USAG Humphreys. If you do recall that road you will recall looking out over the Korean countryside to nothing but fields - that is all USAG Humphreys now, so be prepared for a shock. Checkout their Facebook page U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys (Camp Humphreys).
The following installations are still open. If it's not listed here, it's closed.
The old New Kyong Dong bus ended at the beginning of the covid pandemic in early 2020. It has not returned, although there are military contract busses that run between a few of the bases. These are open for any DOD ID card holder. Go to our Travel and Transportation page for more information.
It's still here! Not going anywhere anytime soon. Go to our Dragon Hill Lodge page for more information.
Where things are located around Yongsan can be seen on the map located here. There is not much here anymore, although we are still here, and will be for quite some time. There are still some offices here performing missions, a couple which are customer service oriented, while others are strictly work related.
Not much left here at Yongsan
Also, not much here at Yongsan anymore
Certainly not a complete list by any stretch of the imagination, but, here are a few places of interest many visitors should experience. A simple Google search of "things to see in korea" will bring up many locations and places of interest.